Safonov Alexander Zakharovich - a little-known Soviet officer who put his whole soul into victory over the fascist invaders. The story of his battle is a series of severe trials that he proudly overcame, as if proving that there were no obstacles for the fearless fighter of the Red Army. In this regard, it will be quite appropriate to talk about what kind of person he was and what actions he was glorified.
Safonov Alexander: biography of early years
Alexander was born on June 1, 1923. His native house was in the village of Khrenovoye, near Voronezh. Like most local children, from childhood he was accustomed to hard physical labor. Perhaps such an upbringing tempered the character of Safonov, making him unbending. I went to school in the fall of 1932, because of this I was finishing 9th grade already to the sounds of the approaching German armada.
Under the hail of first bullets
Alexander was called up to the Red Army Safonov immediately after graduation. A very young guy was sent to study at the Voronezh Military School, so that he could master the profession of a messenger there. However, before they could begin training, as German troops approached the city, the first hail of bullets rained down on Voronezh.
In this regard, fighters who have not completed training are transferred to the east, in the vicinity of the city of Samarkand. “Students” study in accelerated mode, and therefore in December 1941 they were sent to the front near Moscow. Together with them, Safonov Alexander, a fearless ordinary Soviet army, was sent to his new brigade.
The first feat of a soldier
Safonov met the winter of 1942 on the Kalinin front. Here he was assigned to the ski battalion, as a signalman. This was not an easy task, since it was necessary to constantly penetrate the enemy rear and transmit information useful for artillery from there. The most difficult thing in these operations was returning home, because it was one thing to penetrate the territory of the enemy, and quite another to leave it.
In one of these sorties, the Safonov brigade was forced to linger on the ground for a long time. There was a severe frost in the courtyard, because of which the fingers of the signalman quickly froze to the device. As a result, upon returning to the base, the doctors diagnosed the guy with severe frostbite on his hands. The only way out was the amputation of two fingers, which put an end to his service in the army.
But Alexander Safonov did not want to accept such an outcome. After the operation was completed, he personally came to his commander and asked for a long time to leave him in the army. Naturally, the officer was moved by such devotion, and therefore decided to satisfy his request.
Safonov Alexander - a Soviet officer who does not know fear
In August 1944, a young signalman along with a detachment of foot soldiers imperceptibly crossed the Vistula River for the enemy . They were ordered to repair a tattered telephone line, which in itself was a simple task. However, soon their group was discovered by the Germans, who immediately opened fire on them. Nevertheless, the fearless signalman did not abandon his task and finished it with valor, despite the enemy fire.
In February 1945, Alexander Safonov, already a corporal, participated in battles near the city of Poznan. Here, the machine gun bunker, capable of mowing half the company in the blink of an eye, gave the enemy a huge advantage. But the valiant soldier managed to sneak up on him imperceptibly and cover up the embrasure with the body of a dead enemy. Thanks to this, their squad was able to penetrate into the city and destroy most of the German garrison.
In May 1945, Safonov Alexander distinguished himself as one of the bravest fighters of the 35th separate communications battalion. He, risking his life, under a hail of German bullets with his own hands repaired 25 breakthroughs of communication. Thanks to this, the command was able to give accurate and competent orders to its troops throughout the battle.
However, the most valiant battle happened on January 28, 1945. On this day, Safonov Alexander was surrounded by numerous enemies. But this fact not only did not frighten the corporal, but also caused an unprecedented rage in him. As a result, he personally killed 37 German soldiers, and even managed to take one prisoner.